The Right Kind of Wrong

27. Rajat's Frustration

Rajat sat at the back of the campus café, stirring his coffee absentmindedly as his friends chattered around him. His mind wasn't on the conversation, though. It hadn't been for days. He kept replaying his last encounter with Savi, wondering where things had gone wrong. He could still feel the coldness in her words when she'd brushed him off, insisting she needed space.

Space for what? He didn't understand. They'd been getting closer—really close, if he was honest with himself—and then, without warning, she shut him out. It made no sense, and the confusion was driving him crazy.

"Dude, you've been staring into that cup like it holds the answer to the universe," Aman joked, nudging Rajat in the ribs.

Rajat blinked, snapping back to the present. "What?"

"You've been zoning out all week, man. What's going on with you?" Aman asked, exchanging a glance with the others.

Rajat sighed and leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair. "It's Savi."

As soon as her name left his mouth, Aman and Abhay exchanged knowing looks. They'd noticed the change in him over the past few weeks—the way he always seemed distracted, his frustration simmering just below the surface.

Aman raised an eyebrow. "What about Savi?"

"She's been acting different," Rajat admitted, his voice tinged with irritation. "She's pulling away. She barely talks to me anymore, and when she does, it's all formal. No more jokes, no more banter... nothing."

Abhay frowned. "That doesn't sound like Savi. You two were getting along so well. What happened?"

Rajat shrugged helplessly. "I have no idea. One minute we're working together, joking around, and then suddenly, she's distant. She's avoiding me, not even making eye contact in class. I don't get it."

Aman leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. "You think you did something to upset her?"

"I don't think so," Rajat said, his brow furrowed in frustration. "At least, nothing I can think of. But she keeps saying it's because of her IAS prep. That she doesn't have time for distractions."

Abhay raised an eyebrow. "And she thinks you're a distraction?"

Rajat's jaw clenched. "Yeah. That's the part that doesn't make sense. I thought we were past that, you know? We were getting closer, spending time together... Now it feels like she's shutting me out."

Aman sighed and shook his head. "Bro, I'm gonna be real with you—girls are complicated. But if she's pulling away, maybe she's stressed about her exams. The IAS is a big deal for her."

Rajat exhaled heavily, running a hand over his face. "I know that. I get it. The IAS is her dream, and I don't want to get in the way of that. But it feels like she's using it as an excuse to push me away."

"Maybe she's scared," Abhay suggested gently. "You know how focused she is on her goals. Maybe she feels like getting close to you will derail her plans."

Rajat frowned, staring at the table. That was the part he couldn't wrap his head around. He admired Savi's dedication, her drive to achieve something so big. He wasn't trying to stand in the way of that. But why couldn't she see that?

Aman leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "I think you need to talk to her, man. Find out what's really going on. She's clearly going through something, and you can't fix it by staying in the dark."

Rajat hesitated, his mind racing. A part of him wanted to confront Savi, to demand answers for why she was pushing him away. But another part of him was afraid. What if talking to her only made things worse? What if she decided that cutting him out completely was the best way to focus on her dream?